Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-07-16

cessi5y of relief to the people from
the railroad exactions. Instead OF
a body of business men, the meet
ing was run by the railroad infu.
ences. They would say: Well, what
do you wantf Strike out the 18th
section Of the Munford bill (the very
heart and marrow of it, and we will
! give you that.
i If you are determined to live, then
the farmers have got to fight for
their lives. They must fight politi-
clans, railroad lobbyists and the
press. The latter will occasionally
publish some miserable little article
about how to raise crops, &C., which
the editors know nothing about ;
but when it comes to letting the
people know the result of meetings,
&C., they are dumb. Tell me of one
that has not been talking of railroad
men and not of farmers. The judges
and Legislators have free passes in
their pockets, and these, together
with paid lobby are the influences
which we must fight against.
| How is the fight to be made9 By
the people demanding their rights.
Let them organize and settle upon a
definite plan, and then bend every
effort to the accomplishment of their
purpose. Let no man be elected
who will not favor the Georgia Rail.
road bill as it stands; not some
other bill not some similar bill, but
that particular bill, and that alone,
for if once the forces are divided
upon what may be regarded as
either non essentials or more strin.
gent provisions, then defeat is inevi.
table. We know this measure has
worked out good results, and if we
adopt it we may feel assured of re-
lief. Pledge every candidate upon
this one definite measure. If he be
Republican, and honestly favors it
and his Democratic opponent is
evasive and non committal, then
support the Republican, and vice
versa. AS much as I dislike Ma.
hone, still if the issue were Malone
and the bill, or a Democrat without
the bill, then I'd swallow Malone.
1t would make little difference to us
who rules the State If we are not
permitted to live in it, and unless re.
lief comes from some source, our
condition must become unbearable.
Capt. Slaughter closed with an
appeal for organization and a brave,
determined fight. He was applaud
ed at various points in his speech,
his words seeming to arouse the
listeners considerably.
COL. ROBERT BDvERLY,
President of the Farmers Congress
of the United States, and also of the
Farmers Assembly Of Virginia, in.
troduced his remarks by an allusion
to his long Identification with the
farming interests, and his work in
behalf thereof. Although the duties
imposed by the position he held as
the official head of the organized
farmers of the Union were onerous,
still it was a labor of love to serve
those who had thus honored him,
and with whom his interests and his
sympathies were. He rapidly sketch.
ed the advantages which the agri.
culturist of Virginia should enjoy,
and contrasted them with the de.
pressed condition which the face OF
the country, and the long faces of
the tillers of the soil, too plainly
evidence. The depression he ascrib.
ed, not to Providence, but to the
effects of false legislation both state
and national. He related his ex-
perience in Washington in trying to
secure favorable Congressional &C.
ton on measures of Importance to
the farmers. The first was the bill
to raise the Agricultural Depart.
ment to the dignity of cabinet
Office. The government of the
United States has no official head to
a department which represents the
interests of 81 per cent. of the whole
population. Effort after effort was
made to secure the necessary legis.
lation, but without avail. Twice it
passed the House to find it's grave
in the Senate. The Senate had moi
single farmer in it, and of the 32C
members of the House only % were
farmers. This was one of the effects
of lack of representation by the
farming interests. The farmers
were taxed, but taxed without rep
resentation, the very grievance
which brought about the independ
ence of the American citizen, and
the establishment of the government
itself. 1t was fact which farmers
should make note of and carefully
study. They are practically exclud
: ed from representation in state and
nation, and should demand theil
due proportion of legislative and
/ ~LLA 49,